“Turkey neck.” It happens to us all. No matter how fresh looking you’re able to keep your face, the neck will divulge your age. As humorous author Nora Ephron put it in her book, I Feel Bad about My Neck, “Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t have to if it had a neck.”
Maybe you’ve already tried neck-tightening exercises, the best neck-firming creams… even neck-lift tape? If so, you know that improvement is negligible to null. If you are serious about losing the loose, wrinkled or ropey neck skin, it’s time to consider turkey-neck solutions that only an expert can offer. For the most dramatic results, surgical procedures are usually the best choice. Not ready for surgery? You also have a growing number of exciting non-invasive options for improving turkey neck.
Turkey neck is a common sign of aging that many people start to notice in their 40s or 50s. It refers to loose, wrinkled or saggy skin on the neck that causes it to resemble the wrinkled neck of a turkey. While turkey neck can happen for cosmetic reasons as we age it can also indicate potential health issues.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain what turkey neck is, what causes it, what it looks like, and both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options to improve its appearance.
What Does Turkey Neck Look Like?
Turkey neck causes the neck skin to appear loose, saggy, or wrinkled. It often starts with just a bit of looseness under the chin. Over time, this can progress into more significant sagging and wrinkles on the neck
In addition to loose neck skin, other common signs of turkey neck include
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Loss of definition along the jawline and neck
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Excess fat under the chin, causing a double chin
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Vertically-oriented wrinkles or bands between the chin and collarbone
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Crinkly, crepey neck skin texture
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A wattle or sagging pocket of skin hanging under the chin
For some people, turkey neck consists mainly of loose skin and wrinkles. For others, excess fat deposits in the neck may be the primary issue. Genetics, age, sun damage, and other factors influence the specific characteristics.
What Causes Turkey Neck?
There are several potential causes for turkey neck:
Aging: As we get older, skin loses collagen and elastin, which causes it to lose elasticity and sag. This natural process affects the thinner, more delicate neck skin early on.
Genetics: Neck anatomy like thin skin or a receding chin that runs in families can predispose someone to turkey neck.
Weight fluctuations: Weight gain and loss can contribute to excess neck skin.
Sun damage: Sun exposure breaks down collagen in neck skin over time.
Smoking: Chemicals in smoke degrade skin collagen.
Gravity: Constant stretching from head movement contributes to turkey neck over time.
Loss of muscle tone: The platysma muscles running down the neck can weaken and separate.
Medical conditions: Issues like diabetes or HIV can cause fat deposits in the neck. Certain medications like steroids also may contribute.
Turkey Neck Symptoms
The main symptom associated with turkey neck is simply the appearance of wrinkled, sagging, or loose skin on the neck.
You may first start to notice it when looking in the mirror or at your profile in photos. Clothing with open necklines can also make turkey neck more visible.
In some cases, turkey neck may be associated with:
- Tightness or soreness in the neck muscles
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarse voice or vocal changes
However, turkey neck alone does not directly cause these symptoms. If you experience any of these issues, it’s important to see your doctor to identify the underlying cause.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Turkey Neck
If you’re bothered by early signs of turkey neck, there are many nonsurgical treatment options to try first. While results are more subtle than surgery, these treatments have little to no downtime. Options include:
Skin care: Using moisturizers, creams, retinoids, and sunscreen may help improve neck skin tone and elasticity.
Injections: Botox can relax neck bands. Kybella dissolves fat under the chin.
Energy-based treatments: Options like Ultherapy, CoolSculpting, lasers, radiofrequency, and microneedling stimulate collagen production to smooth and tighten neck skin.
Peels and resurfacing: Light chemical peels or microneedling improve neck skin texture and reduce wrinkles.
Neck exercises: Targeted neck exercises can strengthen muscles to provide mild improvement in some cases.
Surgical Procedures for Turkey Necks
For moderate to severe turkey neck, plastic surgery may be required to achieve dramatic improvements in neck contours. Surgical options include:
Neck lift (platysmaplasty): This removes excess neck skin and tightens underlying muscles through incisions under the chin.
Lower facelift: A facelift targets sagging skin on the cheeks and jowls. This can reduce some upper neck wrinkles.
Neck liposuction: Removing excess neck fat can help define the neck. Usually combined with another procedure.
Chin implant: Augmenting a small chin can fill loose neck skin in some cases.
A board-certified plastic surgeon will evaluate your concerns and anatomy to determine the most effective options. Combining procedures, such as a neck lift and chin implant, may provide optimal rejuvenation.
Prevention and Home Remedies
While aging is inevitable, the following habits can help slow down turkey neck:
- Wearing sunscreen daily
- Quitting smoking
- Performing neck exercises
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Sleeping on your back to avoid sleep lines
- Improving posture to combat gravity’s impact
Non-invasive devices like at-home microcurrent devices may provide mild improvement for early signs. But moderate to advanced turkey neck will likely require professional treatments for significant improvement.
When to See a Doctor
If simple skin care and lifestyle measures are not improving early signs of turkey neck, make an appointment with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. They can assess your anatomy and recommend medical treatments tailored to your concerns.
See your doctor promptly if you experience any swallowing difficulties, voice changes, or neck pain along with your turkey neck. While not directly related, these symptoms should be evaluated to identify any underlying condition needing treatment.
Turkey neck is a common sign of aging, but options ranging from minimally invasive procedures to plastic surgery can rejuvenate the neck. A physician can help determine the best treatment plan based on factors like your anatomy, degree of skin laxity, and treatment goals. Addressing turkey neck can help restore a smoother, more contoured, and youthful neck profile.
Why does the neck look older?
As with all skin, factors like genetics, extreme weight loss, collagen and elastin breakdown, and sun exposure can affect how your neck ages. However, there are additional factors that can act specifically on the neck to make it look older than the rest of you.
Thin, weak and delicate skin and muscle cover the neck. Year after year, twisting, stretching, and the pull of gravity and any pockets of subcutaneous fat have a cumulative aging effect. Most people notice neck skin beginning to significantly sag and wrinkle around the age of 40. That’s also when underlying platysmal muscles start to detach and loosen, their edges showing through thinning skin as vertical bands from the chin to collarbone.
What you see is turkey neck. You can choose to accept it. You can try to hide it with scarves and turtlenecks. Or you can visit a medical professional for effective treatment, whether surgery or a more conservative approach.
Whittle down the wattle
Actual CSI patient. Courtesy of Greg S. Morganroth, MD.
Is there extra fat hammocking under your chin? Many non-invasive technologies that are effective for carving away a double chin will also help with this type of turkey neck. Your doctor may recommend a highly targeted procedure to reduce neck fat, such as:
- Kybella – This injectable is formulated to eliminate fat specifically under the chin. It uses deoxycholic acid to break down fat cells, so your body can remove them for long-term, natural-looking improvement.
- CoolSculpting – With its special applicator for the neck, the CoolSculpting machine leaves skin unharmed as it passes through to adipose tissue, destroying fat cells with intense cold.
Tips for Preventing Signs of Aging Like ‘Turkey Neck’
FAQ
What does a turkey neck look like on a person?
What is the best non-surgical treatment for turkey neck?
Will losing weight get rid of turkey neck?
What does a turkey neck look like?
Let’s talk turkey — not the bird, but rather the loose skin on your neck that resembles a turkey’s wattle, those wrinkled folds of skin that hang under its beak. “Turkey neck” comes with aging, weight fluctuations and sun exposure, three things that are hard to avoid.
What is a wry neck?
The term “wry neck” is a non-medical description of a condition called torticollis. Torticollis is a twisting of the neck that leaves the head turned or tilted to one side, often with an inability to move the head. The cause is unknown and can be present at birth, presumably related to the position of the fetus in the womb that affects the neck muscles. Other potential causes include sleeping in an unusual position, viral infection, or injury. Neck spasm or scarring of the skin or muscles around the neck (as may occur with burn injuries) may lead to torticollis.
Does aging skin look like turkey neck?
Developing fine lines and wrinkles around the face and neck is a natural part of the aging process that can’t be avoided entirely. However, the appearance of aging skin—like turkey neck—can be treated with a number of aesthetic procedures. This is a noninvasive procedure that involves injecting neurotoxins into sagging neck skin.
What causes a turkey neck?
Dr. Newman says these six factors can cause turkey neck: Aging: Your skin naturally loses elasticity as you get older. “Gravity takes over, and the skin on your cheeks starts to drift down,” explains Dr. Newman. “Your cheek skin then pools underneath your jawline and in your neck.”